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Janja/Main article
Janja is a spotted hyena who serves as the main antagonist of The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and a recurring antagonist in its follow-up series The Lion Guard. He is the leader of a clan of hyenas that resides in the Outlands. Appearance Janja is an ashen-gray hyena with a lighter underbelly and darker spots along his back. His mane is spiked back, and there is a notch in his left ear. Unlike his clan, whose tails are all black, the underside of Janja's tail is gray. Janja and the rest of his clan don't appear to be fully grown, as they are only slightly bigger than a lion cub. Personality Like his hyena ancestors before him, Janja is a greedy and selfish leader with no regard for the Circle of Life. His unabated hunger drives him to extreme measures, as he is willing to stand against Simba and the Lion Guard, and his ruthless nature shines through in even everyday interactions. Janja is unforgiving to his minions and mercilessly mocks them in front of the clan, refusing to believe their excuses and stories. This is likely because his minions are not his friends; they are simply a means to an end, for Janja is crafty and uses his clan mates to do his dirty work for him. Janja's intelligence is undeniable. Surrounded on all sides by witless hyenas, he stands out as the one clever member of the clan, utilizing his allies to take down the Circle of Life. Under Janja's guidance, the hyenas prove a great threat, especially since they are often swayed to his side through his natural charisma and cunning. Janja will ensure that the clan's goals always align with his own. Despite his ruthless ambition and sharp intellect, Janja is a coward when the odds are no longer in his favor, and he is known to promptly turn tail and run when faced with a fair fight. Information ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar When Kion and his best friend Bunga lose their baobab ball in the Outlands, Janja orders Cheezi and Chungu to bring the honey badger to him. Before the hyenas can hurt Bunga, Kion steps in, roaring so loudly that the hyenas drop Bunga, who climbs to safety. Not long after this, Mzingo hears that Kion has been appointed the leader of the new Lion Guard, and he reports back to Janja about the newly formed team. When Janja hears the news, he announces to his clan that they will strike that very night. After Kion assembles his team, Bunga calls to him, shouting that the hyenas are attacking a herd of gazelles. With no time to lose, Kion assembles the Lion Guard. Together, the five friends attack the hyenas, driving them back into the Outlands. Kion finishes the fight with the powerful Roar of the Elders, and even Janja flees in terror. Before leaving, he warns Kion that their conflict is far from over. The Lion Guard "Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots" Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu are seen attacking a herd of oryx just before the Lion Guard arrives. Kion orders the rest of the Lion Guard to calm the herd while he goes after the hyenas. However, during the pursuit, Kion falls into a river, which sweeps him into the Outlands. Janja and his clan later appear when they confront a female hyena named Jasiri, who had helped Kion get to Flat Ridge Rock. Jasiri is able to easily fend off Cheezi and Chungu, but is pinned down by Janja. Luckily, Kion returns and saves Jasiri by using the Roar of the Elders to scare Janja and his clan away. "Can't Wait to be Queen" After spying on Kiara and Kion and learning that Simba and Nala are away, Mzingo reports back to Janja, explaining that the royal cubs are fighting in the wake of Simba's departure. Janja decides to take advantage of the family struggles and instructs Mzingo to take a special message to Kiara. Under Janja's instructions, Mzingo lands on the peak of Pride Rock and offers a peace proposal to Kiara. Though suspicious, the cub listens as Mzingo tells her that Janja wishes to meet her at Broken Rock, which serves as neutral ground between the Pride Lands and the Outlands. Kiara promises to think the offer over, and Mzingo flies away. When Kion hears about the proposal, he desperately tries to talk his sister out of it, but Kiara points out that Janja probably came to her because Kion is constantly running him off. Furious, Kion points out that she's not really the queen, but Kiara resolves to do things her own way. A frustrated Kion refuses to take part in her plan and runs off into the savanna. Eventually, Kiara reaches Broken Rock, where Janja surrounds her with his cronies, but just in time, Kion arrives with the Lion Guard, and Janja flees. As the hyenas scurry away, Kiara admits that Kion had been right about not being able to trust Janja. "Eye of the Beholder" Janja can be seen in the midst of a wildebeest stampede with his minions, Cheezi and Chungu. The hyenas attempt to use the rising dust from the stampede to mask their movements, but Ono spots them from the air and warns the Lion Guard of their location. The hyenas are driven off, though they later overhear the vultures talking and realize that Ono has lost his sight. Under Janja's instruction, Cheezi and Chungu help trap the Lion Guard in a ravine. With the team trapped, they attempt to pick off a herd of zebras, but Ono once again comes to the rescue, and Kion busts his team free using the Roar of the Elders. Once more at a loss, the hyenas flee into the Outlands. "The Kupatana Celebration" Janja and his clan chase Dogo, a jackal pup, to the border of the Outlands. There, they corner him until the pup is saved by Kion, who pins Janja to the dirt. To Kion's surprise, Janja gives up easily and runs off with his clan. "Fuli's New Family" When Bunga discovers that he's immune to snake bites, he attempts to climb to the top of the volcano. Janja is alerted to Bunga's presence by Cheezi, and the hyenas attempt to eat the honey badger until the rest of the Lion Guard shows up to drive them off. "Follow That Hippo!" Along with Cheezi and Chungu, Janja sneaks into the Pride Lands, where he encounters a group of young animals playing "Lion Guard." The hyenas immediately begin to follow them, and when they catch up to Mtoto and his friends, the young animals flee in panic. After a brief skirmish, the hyenas target Mtoto as the slowest. Meanwhile, the young animals rush up to Beshte and beg him to save Mtoto. Just in time, Beshte shows up to save Mtoto from the hyenas, and the two escape into the water. Together, Beshte and Mtoto manage to avoid the hyenas, who skulk on the edges of the river, trying to catch a bite of them as they pass. Eventually, the rest of the Lion Guard appears and dispatches of the hyenas, who are knocked into the pool, where they're chased in circles by a crocodile float. "The Call of the Drongo" At the beginning of the episode, a drongo named Tamaa mimics Janja's voice in order to scare smaller animals away from their food. Several animals mistake Tamaa as being a real predator, and they implore the Lion Guard to put a stop to the danger. However, when Kion and his team investigate, Janja is nowhere to be seen. Eventually, they follow Janja's voice to where Tamaa sits perched in a bush, and he admits to mimicking predators in order to scare off small animals. Several times, he accidentally uses Janja's voice, and he mimics him most prominently in the song "Bird of a Thousand Voices". Not long after this, the real Janja shows up, flanked by Cheezi and Chungu. Together, the three hyenas attempt to take down a herd of impalas, but the Lion Guard chases them away from the herd. After leaving the impalas behind, Janja happens to overhear Tamaa and corners him in a bush. Tamaa begs the hyenas not to eat him, and Janja assures him that he has other plans for the drongo. Sure enough, Janja forces Tamaa to imitate Kion's voice and send a herd of impalas into the Outlands. The plan works, and the hyenas hold Tamaa captive as they follow the herd into the Outlands. Back in the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard happens across a zebra who is fervently trying to escape danger. Upon being questioned, the zebra reveals that he and the impalas had heard Kion instructing them to go to the Outlands for safety. Suspicious, Kion surmises that Janja is forcing Tamaa to herd impalas into the Outlands for his own satisfaction, and the Lion Guard rushes to put a stop to the danger. Meanwhile, Tamaa is forced to watch as Janja creeps up on the herd of impalas, who have been successfully herded into the Outlands. With Janja distracted, Tamaa manages to imitate his voice and trick Cheezi into letting him go. Once free, Tamaa imitates the other Lion Guard members and scares Janja and his cronies into a huddle. However, Janja realizes that Cheezi had let the drongo go, and he corners Tamaa in the ravine. Just in time, the real Lion Guard arrives and chases the hyenas away from Tamaa and the herd of impalas. "Paintings and Predictions" As Ono escorts a zebra herd home, they are watched from a nearby ridge by Janja and his cronies, Cheezi and Chungu. The three hyenas sing "Panic and Run", in which they resolve to eat the zebra herd. Once the herd is back in their grazing grounds, the hyenas attack, and Ono rushes off to fetch the rest of his team. Once there, Kion instructs his friends to take on Cheezi and Chungu, while he handles Janja. As Janja chases a zebra around a large rock, Kion decides to climb an overhanging tree branch in order to ambush him, but Bunga races after him, tackling him to the ground. Together, the two fall on top of Janja, who races off to the Outlands. "The Mbali Fields Migration" When Kion leads a herd of gazelles and zebras through the Outlands, one of the zebras gives birth to a foal, whose loud bray attracts Janja's attention. Together with Cheezi and Chungu, he attempts to scatter the herd, but they stand together, protecting Muhimu and her foal. Unwilling to give up, Janja breaks through the line of zebras until he is kicked in the face by Muhimu's foal, after which he backs off, racing away with Cheezi and Chungu. Voice Actors * 'The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar' - (2015) - (film) - Andrew Kishino * 'The Lion Guard' - (2016–) - (TV series) - Andrew Kishino Trivia * Although Janja is written as the leader of his clan, a hyena clan is realistically led by a female.http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/hyena/ * A teaser for ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar confirms that Janja's clan is descended from the hyenas of the original film.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7zvV8Gffaw&t=0m48s Gallery References Category:Animals Category:Antagonists Category:Characters Category:Film Characters Category:Spotted Hyenas Category:Leaders Category:The Lion Guard Characters Category:The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Official Characters Category:Outlanders Category:Television Characters